Balancing Act
by TheFABFive2015
Summary: TAG 2015. Another tag to Crosscut - a sequel, of sorts, to Winging It. When he left Scott and Marion at that mine, Virgil was happy with a job well done. Everyone was safe, everything was okay. Three nights later, things are worryingly different.
1. Chapter 1 Troubled Brother

Hello, and welcome to my latest story for TAG.

At four chapters - plot bunnies permitting - this is the longest one I've written so far. It's also more serious (but still with lighter moments of brothery bits!) _and_ a work-in-progress.

Based again around the events in Crosscut, it can be read as a sequel to Winging It, my earlier story for that episode, or as a stand-alone in its own right.

Of course, we all know that Virgil arrived just in time to save the day. You get the feeling that, with Scott especially, he has to do that quite a bit. But then my plot bunnies got me to thinking - what if he hadn't?

Don't panic, Scott fans, I'm not killing him off! He's _much_ too cute to do that! But what if Virgil started to _dream_ that he hadn't got there in time? How would that affect him?

My guess is - rather badly. So, with that in mind, here's the first chapter. Enjoy!

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Balancing Act

Chapter One - Troubled Brother

That crack in the ceiling was starting to _really_ bug him.

Virgil stared at it, trying to decide how serious it was. It wasn't that big, maybe four or five inches, so he doubted it would lead to a full scale cave-in, but - well, when you'd gone three nights without decent sleep, even the calmest of heads tended to let its imagination run a bit riot.

A bit? No, Virgil sourly corrected himself, make that a _lot_. Too much to allow him any peace. Besides, he'd only go back to what had woken him, _again_ , in the first place, and... _breathe_ , _Virg_. _Breathe._

So...no. He should just get up. Do something, _anything_ , to get those damn images out of his mind.

At this time of night - or was it morning? - the rest of the family were still happily lost to the world. Except for him, he thought, pulling a face at the chorus of snores that followed him along the hall. Given the choice between peaceful dreams, and over-brewed coffee... hell, it wasn't a difficult choice.

By the time he'd made a fresh pot, he was chilled enough for him to huddle a bit deeper into his sweats. Troubled thoughts occupied him so deeply that a quiet voice behind him almost... _almost_... made him choke.

" _Virgil_? It's four in the morning, what the hell are you doing down here?"

Coughing down his coffee, Virgil threw a glare at the cause of both messy spillage _and_ this latest sleepless night. Against the concern on Scott's face, though, he couldn't release the anger that had threatened to erupt. Instead, he just shrugged. Let this gesture of tiredness and frustration speak for itself.

"Couldn't sleep."

For such a short statement, it still set the alarms in Scott's head into full blown ' _uh_ - _oh_ ' mode. He'd been about to offer to tuck his brother into bed with his old teddy bear, but then seen the tiredness on Virgil's face. Shadows under his eyes that didn't belong there. More than that, he'd also heard... _it_. An undercurrent of tension in his voice, that made him wince in guilt at its cause.

The family peacemaker was rattled, verging on angry, and... yeah. Yeah, Scott already knew why.

Pouring himself a mug of coffee, then swapping its size for extra large, he glanced back at his brother. Hunched over his own drink, so much of his body language warned that he wanted to be left alone. But the brother who knew to look that little bit deeper recognized a need for company.

A need to talk.

Sliding onto the stool alongside, Scott studied him for a few more moments, measuring his mood - knowing from the briefest glance towards him that he could speak now, without risking bodily harm.

"You think I did the wrong thing... going alone into that mine."

Still frowning down at his coffee, Virgil stayed silent - long enough for Scott to start to feel nervous. Brash and impulsive against his brother's unflappable calm, their personalities were so utterly different. As their father had so fondly teased them, they were like chalk and cheese. Heads and tails. Fire and ice.

And yet, never more valuably than when they were out on rescues, they worked together perfectly. In split-second, life-or-death decisions, they cancelled out the negatives, and reinforced the positives.

But every so often, the former tried to outweigh the latter. Threw that perfect balance out of alignment. And, more often than not, it forced Virgil to risk _his_ life too, and haul his brother's butt out of the fire.

It drove him nuts. And, as Scott now guiltily realized, that legendary patience was starting to run out.

"I think you could... damn it, Scott, you know what I'm going to say. You _should_ have let me help you figure that rescue out. Or at least considered it."

Scott winced again. No one knew better than he did how deceptive that quietly calm tone could be. The last time he'd gone in a bit too gung-ho for Virgil's liking, his brother had come dangerously close to hitting him.

There was still enough of a glare on Virgil's face to tell him he was still considering it, and the voice -

"...damn it, Scott, I was just ten minutes behind you! _Ten_ _minutes_! And how the hell am I meant to back you up, if _you_ don't trust my judgement?"

\- yes, that deadly soft tone told Scott he was still in serious danger of being tossed across the kitchen. Or into that, he thought, following his brother's eyes outside, to where the pool glinted under its lights.

 _'I'd end up soaking wet, but at least I'd have a soft landing... better than the one I had in the Mole_...'

Virgil's thoughts were following a similar path. Unlike Scott's, though, his musings held no humour. Instead, in cruellest irony, the moment when he'd saved his brother's life was the stuff of nightmares. The scenario that terrified him, more than anything else that he'd ever face.

"I - I keep seeing you, Scott. I - I can't reach you in time, and you we-... you..."

It had been too horrific to face in his dreams. Fully awake, Virgil couldn't bring himself to face it now. His brother, just inches from safety, falling past the Mole's viewport. Falling to certain death, helpless to save himself. Screaming, as _he_ had screamed.

'Scott, _no_...! No... oh, God, no... _nooooooo_...!'

Closing his eyes, he then slumped against the breakfast bar, burying his face into shaking hands.

Frozen by his own emotions, that same brother sat beside him. Stared at him in silent horror. After teasing him so wickedly over Ms Van Arkel... yes, _now_ Scott knew why he'd become so quiet since. And as he realized how it might have ended so differently, guilt choked his voice into a horrified curse.

"Virgil, I'm - I just... oh, _Christ_..."


	2. Chapter 2 A Problem Shared

Okay, after a bit of tweaking, here's chapter two! I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for the lovely reviews :o)

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Balancing Act

Chapter Two - A Problem Shared

He hadn't broken down. There was too much strength in Virgil's character for that to happen. It had been close, though. Under the comforting arm of his brother, he'd come damn close to it.

From his own emotions - surprise, realization, and their consequent guilt - Scott was just as shaken. Forced by his brother's worst fears to face his own mortality, he still reeled under its significance. How much he took it for granted.

Leading rescues came as naturally to him now as breathing. So did making those split second decisions that could, and did, make the difference between life and death. Time after time, though, he pushed his luck to its limit. Justified his actions for the countless lives they saved.

But it was Virgil, his brother, so often his own saviour, who was paying a far greater price. More often than not, it was Virgil who joined him on that first, critical response, and... _damn it_!

For all those times he'd told him to wait for back up, why did he keep putting Virgil through this? Through all those debriefs they'd had about it, why hadn't he stopped to take his concerns more seriously? Not just his reasoning, or the logic of his argument, but the effect that his actions were having on him?

Difficult questions, that Scott knew he'd find equally hard to answer. Not now, though. No, not yet. His first priority right now had to be Virgil. His big bear of a brother, who faced everything life threw at him with such cheerful courage, but who now looked so vulnerable.

Still, at least he was talking. Not quite ready to face the real issue yet, but - well, small talk was better than no talk at all.

"So, that call out last night was a false alarm?"

With his thoughts now so far elsewhere, it took a moment for Scott to remember it. But then memory returned. A fire that had been reported as a 'raging inferno' but had, in fact, already been extinguished by the time he'd arrived, and he smiled at how trivial it now seemed.

"Yeah, it was fine. By the time I got there, everything was clear, so I just turned around and came home."

Arriving at just past midnight, of course, to a still and silent villa, but - well, he wasn't going to mention that. Not when he now knew that not everyone had been too soundly asleep to hear him return.

A distracted nod told him Virgil wasn't too bothered by these trivial details either. His own thoughts were still understandably elsewhere. Finally, though, and still so quietly, he found the courage to bring up what they both had to face. To put the unthinkable into words.

"I've had this dream for three nights running now, Scott, and it - it just always ends the same way. I - I see you falling towards me... you're _so_ _close_ , you _almost_ make it, but..."

Closing his eyes against its tragedy, Virgil then opened them again, seeking out the proof he needed that it had all been a dream. Scott's arm, solid and real around his shoulders. His eyes. Full of concern, but also bright with life. Then, finally, his brother's voice. Softness and strength combined, gently pulling him back to reality.

"But it didn't happen, Virg. We _all_ got out of there, we're fine. Everything's okay."

Drawn back into a comforting hug, Virgil sat quietly within it, savouring everything it was giving him. Physical contact, and its verbal equivalent. What he needed to feel, to hear, but... no, it still wasn't enough. He knew it. And however hard it was for his brother to hear, Scott had to know it too.

"I know that, Scott. By the skin of our teeth, maybe, but... yes, we got out of there," he said at last, the second part of that thought kept silent, but still expressing itself through dull, haunted eyes.

 _'Next time we might not be so lucky_.'

Even without words, that message was loud and clear. For the collective ' _we_ ' he'd meant a singular ' _you_.' Left with little choice now, the ' _you_ ' in question then sighed, accepting its point with quiet humility.

"I know, Virg. I know that too."

From his own tiredness, a niggled conscience, or a combination of both, Scott then rubbed his eyes. Still watching him, Virgil couldn't help but smile. For just those few moments, the head of the best rescue team on Earth was twelve years old again.

Of course, that would never happen in the real world. No kid that age would ever bear such responsibility.

Except... no. For one family out of countless others, its eldest child _had_ been placed in that position. First from their mother's loss, and now from their father's, and... damn, he wasn't even thirty yet!

It was another, ongoing joke between them. That Scott would reach that 'oiling-the-joints' birthday first. Yet Virgil couldn't fully enjoy it. Instead, it tugged on his conscience now, as he studied his brother's face.

He led their rescues. Made all the life-or-death decisions that came with saving the world. Kept _them_ safe, within that world. Assured their grandmother that... yes, they _would_ find their father, however long it took.

He made sure John had enough time back home to maintain his own, precious bond with her, _and_ them. Kept - well, _tried_ \- to keep Gordon's pranks within limits where its victims didn't want to throttle him. Nagged Alan through his studies. Curbed that boundless enthusiasm. Protected him from its dangers.

And through all of that, he kept them going. Kept their spirits up, at an unspoken cost to his own.

' _God_ , _Scooter_... _when did you start looking so old_?'

He must have spoken that last thought aloud, since two re-brightened blue eyes glared back at him.

"Hey! I'm not ready for the scrapheap yet!"

Beyond the teasing smirk, though, and the show of indignation, the greater seriousness remained. And for many reasons, it had to be Scott who quietly faced it.

"I know I take risks, Virg. I know when I'm leading these missions, I can just jump right into them without checking to see how, or where, I'm going to land. I guess with trying to keep so many bats in the air, sometimes one just slips me by, and..."

"...whacks you in the head..." Virgil finished for him, treating his brother to a truly priceless smile. "See, Scooter... _that_ ' _s_ why we're always telling you why you could _never_ join the circus."

Rarely, if ever, had Scott been so grateful to grin back at him. This was the moment he'd waited for. Yes, it had come with a favourite insult at his expense, but... God, yes, he'd still take it with two, very grateful hands.

As the skies outside started to lighten towards dawn, an inspired thought made it widen. Okay, so all those concussions had finally convinced him to stop juggling baseball bats, but - well, another talent that their mother had proudly encouraged had flourished instead. On a morning where both of them sorely needed it, that talent was about to come into its own.


	3. Chapter 3 Food For Thought

Hello again, folks! Well, compared to what poor John went through in this morning's eppie (OMG, it was _BRILLIANT_!), being offline for a couple of days suddenly doesn't seem so bad. So, now that I've got my internet  and my breath back, let's see how Scott and Virgil are getting on in this latest chapter.

Me? I'm away for a soothing lie-down. And for some strange reason, I won't be having bagels for breakfast either! Speaking of which... now, Scott, what have you been up to?!

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Balancing Act

Chapter Three - Food For Thought

Studying the plates in front of him, Virgil's stomach flipped with an approval he was fighting to hide. As usual, his eldest brother had surpassed himself.

 _'Now that's what I call a breakfast_!"

Pancakes. A towering stack of them. Enough to feed a small army. Or one hungry Tracy. Or, if the unsung chef who'd made them got in fast enough - two.

If he voiced that approval aloud, of course, Scott would never let him hear the end of it. So, he chose a response that would save him the trouble. No point adding to that big brother's smugness. He was insufferable enough already.

Folding his arms, he then met Scott's eyes again, feigning indifference to their eager-beaver brightness.

"You think you can buy me with _those_?"

Studying the 'those' in question, Scott almost took him seriously. Almost. Then he, too, started to grin. So, little brother wanted to play hardball, did he? Well, big brother could play that game with him too. All day.

"Hey, if you'd rather chance your luck on Grandma's muffins..."

Yeah, that did it. Still wincing, Virgil pulled the rare treat of real, edible food back towards him, while finding a less than flattering use for their grandmother's latest 'experiment.'

"I'd rather use 'em as ballast for Thunderbird Two. No, these'll do fine."

Still enjoying his moment of glory, Scott knew he was about to chance his luck, _and_ his life. As all those childhood food-fights had taught him, God help _anyone_ who came between Virgil and his breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner. Or anything else that came in between. But for what he was about to suggest, tugging that plate away again would be worth that 'hands-off-or-you'll-wear-it' growl.

He hoped.

"Looks to be a great morning out there. Might as well make the most of it."

In truth, of course, it wasn't full morning just yet. A few stars still dotted the brightening sky. But Virgil wasn't about to quibble. He'd already seen this suggestion for what it was. Another offer of healing peace. Even as he accepted it, though, he couldn't resist making his own contribution to help it along.

"Bring some extra syrup, and a fresh pot of coffee... oooh, and some bacon too, and you've got yourself a deal."

Sorely tempted to remind his brother that he wasn't a damn waiter, Scott then thought better of it. Watching him stride outside with such a broad grin on his face was worth this moment of servitude.

Just this once, though. For both serious reasons and not-so-serious, Scott had no intentions of letting this happen too often.

By the time he re-joined him, Virgil had tugged most of their poolside loungers back to their places, and was returning with the last two. The sight made him smile again. Ah, yes, he'd forgotten about that. One of these days, he'd really have to get around to grounding those seats into the patio.

Not surprisingly, Virgil thought so too - another moment of brotherly wit and wisdom falling on ears that conveniently refused to rise to its bait.

"...damn downdraft... seriously, Scooter, you've gotta throttle back on those thrusters."

Still muttering why it was always _him_ that ended up fetching them, instead of some over-throttled flyboy, Virgil settled into his seat - making full use of its length to stretch his six foot plus frame into its most comfy position.

Following suit alongside, the cause of that flying furniture wisely hid his smirk behind a mugful of coffee. Waited for another forkful of pancake to re-soothe the grumbling beast beside him, before tucking into his own.

Washed down with his secret stash of coffee, this feast of a breakfast played its role to perfection. A morning that had started so lousily now felt infinitely better. More to the point, it would help them resolve the issues that... oh. Okay. Virgil had beaten him to it.

"God, I'm such an idiot."

As startled by his brother's outburst as he was surprised, Scott responded to it before the cautioning voice in his head could stop him.

"What, in general? Or just when I'm around?"

Uh-oh. Virgil wasn't smiling back at him as easily as he'd hoped, and... _damn_. Another of those foot-in-mouth ' _oooops_ ' moments ran through Scott's mind. He really had to learn to engage his brain before his mouth. In that respect, his brother had it down to a fine art. It was a skill that had soothed out countless family squabbles, and - yeah, listen up, Scooter. Brother Peacemaker is speaking.

"No, I'm thinking you've got enough on your plate, without me adding to it."

A pause, while he considered what he'd just said. Then a rueful but priceless grin, as Scott found it impossible not to do the same.

"I mean, seriously? You've got enough syrup on there for Gordon to go swim in it!"

"For the millionth time, Virg... don't exaggerate," Scott fired straight back at him, mushing his latest forkful of pancake through as much syrup as it could soak up, before lopping it into his mouth.

Rolling his eyes, Virgil left him to it while he thought out a more serious response. Subtly watching him, Scott smiled at what lay behind that pensive expression. If Virgil was thinking through what was really bothering him, then the solution to it wouldn't be far behind. As he'd hoped, his brother was already on the right tracks.

"You've got enough to deal with, Scott, without having to babysit me and my melodramatic imagination. I mean, it isn't as if you're a kid any more either. We're both old enough to make the right decisions. And it's not like anything in that dream actually happened."

Sipping his coffee, Virgil then frowned. In contrast, Scott's smile grew proudly wider. Yes, he was on the right tracks now, all right, but - well, a little brotherly help would help him get there just that little bit faster.

"Well, _some_ of it happened for real," he said at last, leaving just enough bait on that verbal hook for Virgil to latch onto it.

Already nodding, Virgil continued to separate fact from the mental worst case scenario that had always troubled him. As he did so, he glanced across at Scott, and returned the smile he found there with one of dawning understanding.

"Yeah, I kept telling you to wait 'til I got there... you told _me_ to wait to protect me from that radiation..."

 _'_... _yeah, you're getting it now_ , _Virg_... _come on_ , _you're almost there_...'

"...you realize if I'd done that, Scott... if I _had_ sat back, and waited, you and Marion would be dead now?"

'... _ooh_ , _it'_ s _Marion already_...? _Sorry, bro', but she landed on me first_... _I've still got the bruises to prove it_...'

The grin on Scott's face grew silently wider. Yeah, if he ever voiced _that_ aloud, he'd have even more. But as he then discovered, a smile could reveal just as much as the private thoughts behind it. Damn dimples - gave him away every time.

"You knew, didn't you? You _knew_ I'd ignore that warning, and come in to get you out of there!"

And... bingo. If there'd been a bathtub around, he'd have jumped in it, and yelled 'Eureka!' For the sake of his health, though, not to mention self preservation, Scott went for a more tactful nod.

"I knew you'd go with your instincts, Virg. I knew you'd trust them to make the right call. Just as I did when I went into that mine."

Aah, the wisdom of greater experience, that he knew Virgil would appreciate now, and... hmm. Maybe not.

"Smartass."

Frowning at what should have been a far more touching moment, Scott threw a scolding glare towards him. Brotherly loyalty or not, there were times when the head of the house just had to assert his authority.

"Virgil?"

"What?"

"A little more respect for your elders."

"Bite me."


	4. Chapter 4 Calculated Risk

Well, folks, this is the final chapter for this story. It covers a lot of ground, so it's a little bit longer than the others, but I hope you enjoy it.

I also hope I've stayed true to the characters, especially to Virgil. I know you don't see it until Unplugged, which takes place after Crosscut, but there were times in that episode where you see him question his abilities. I think it was seeing those moments of doubt and hesitation that gave me the idea for this story.

So, then, let's see how he resolves the cause of his nightmare - with, of course, some more help from the world's best big brother. Thanks again for all your kind reviews, and hope to see you back here soon!

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Balancing Act

Chapter Four - Calculated Risk

Dawn had fully broken now. Morning had come to Tracy Island in a spectacular show of colours.

Scott and Virgil had enjoyed every moment of it, in the peaceful quiet it deserved. As the glorious range of reds, golds and pinks started to fade, so the silence between them ended too.

" _Hell_ of a sunrise."

From a subtle cough beside him, Virgil rolled his eyes. Uh-oh. Big brother _still_ in 'mind-your-language' mode.

"Sorry. _Heck_ of a sunrise."

To his surprise, Scott just shrugged this time. Or, he thought dryly, he was too warm and comfy to chastise him further. Either way, there was still enough easier feeling between them for Scott to change the subject - gently shifting them back to the discussion they'd been having before the wonders of Nature had intervened.

"You've always had good instincts, Virg. I know Gordon has them too, and... yeah, I've got to admit, so does Alan. But yours are the ones I've come to rely on the most. And even if I don't say it as often as I should, you must know how much I appreciate them."

Just a few hours ago, the distracted nod he received in reply would have unsettled him. Now, though, it made him smile as his eyes settled on its cause.

Sketchpad + pencils + talented brother = another breathtaking picture to hang up in the den. As the family's resident artist put the finishing touches to his latest masterpiece, it left Scott free to reflect on the morning's events.

They'd almost resolved it now, this issue that had often troubled and, just occasionally, divided them. Virgil hadn't just faced his demons, he'd gone on to identify the true cause beyond it.

Three hours of soul-searching had led him to the conclusion that had surprised _him_ , but that Scott had known all along. A 'what if?' fear of failure had set a potentially disastrous seed of doubt into his mind. Triggered his nightmares, pitching him into the tragedy he dreaded above all others. Made him question his judgement when, in fact, that judgement was as sound and well-founded as it had always been.

As he'd just ruefully admitted, having that extra mozzarella on his pizza last night hadn't been such a good idea. From now on, he'd promised, he'd just stick to pepperoni.

A fond smile settled on Scott's face too, as he watched him pack up his sketch-kit. From overdoing the cheese to questioning his instincts, there were times when his brother was his own worst enemy.

Then again, so was he. Riding his luck so often in the past might have been easier for him. More easily justified. But now? Well, their father's disappearance had changed all that.

The thought was a sobering one. For him more than any of them, it had changed _everything_.

In their father's absence, Scott knew he had to start taking his actions more seriously. He had to consider the brothers who were looking to _him_ now, more than ever before. Relying on him for leadership. Guidance. Hope. Courage. The strength to keep doing what they did best, until their family was made whole again.

He had to consider _all_ of that now, before they suffered the grief and anguish of another, senseless loss.

Of course, he wasn't so naïve as to think he wouldn't still need to make those life-or-death decisions, or to take the risks associated with them. But now he'd learn to try and anticipate them, just that little bit quicker. Do all he could to try and reduce that risk as much as possible. And if that meant accepting offers of help, or suggestions, or just some calming advice - well, so be it.

So much of that support would come from the brother who shared the majority of those missions with him. Aside from John's equally unflappable calm, Scott couldn't think of a better head to have around in a crisis.

The bond between them held its greatest strength in the trust they placed in each other. So when he finally spoke, his voice was quiet. Completely serious, until his brother's response to what he was saying made him smile too.

"I know I rush into things sometimes, Virg, and... yeah, okay, wise guy... a _lot_ of times."

Leaning across to lightly thump Virgil's arm, he settled back again. Gave himself a few more moments to re-gather his thoughts, before he put them into carefully chosen words.

"But as team leader, Virg, I need to make decisions. As I said before, there's nothing I can do to change that. More often than not, I don't have the time to ask myself if I'm doing the right thing or not. All I can do is trust my instincts, _and_ yours, to know you'll be there when I need you."

Another soundless response. But then, all the reaction that Scott could have hoped for was written through Virgil's eyes. That gentlest of smiles. Complete understanding, grounded by the trust and respect that forged this remarkable bond between them.

Still, no harm in making that bond even stronger. After all, you just never knew when you were going to need it.

"What I _can_ do, though, is learn to listen more. Just take those few seconds while we're flying out to listen to whatever you suggest. I can't guarantee I'll be able to carry those suggestions out. You know as well as I do that we rarely know what we're facing until we get there. But I _can_ promise you this. From now on, I _will_ listen."

Wow. The last time he'd made such a heartfelt speech, his brother had almost ruined the moment. The glint in Virgil's eyes suggested there was more of the same to come.

"That'd be appreciated. I'm _much_ too young and handsome to go grey just yet."

As the eldest, and no doubt the first, to inherit that family trait, there was no way Scott was going to let _that_ one go.

"Modesty, thy name is Virgil."

Answered with a nonchalant shrug, he wisely chose to ignore it. Instead, he drew a more serious issue to a quietly determined close.

"Whatever I do on these missions, Virgil... whatever decisions I have to take on them, I'll never put _my_ life at risk, or anyone else's, unless I know for sure that..."

"...you've got me, or Gordon, or Alan, close enough to back you up," Virgil finished for him, rolling his eyes as his brother grinned, giving that thought a uniquely sadistic twist.

"Hey, you could always have them ride shotgun with you, just to make sure, and... yeah, good luck with that."

Baulking at the thought of not just one but two kid brothers on his tail, Virgil then grinned too. His eyes glinted with the kind of mischief that his eldest brother admired, shared - and silently feared.

"Yeah, I _could_ rig up Pod Three with a sound-proof box, and just lock 'em in there."

Drastic and draconian, maybe... but in terms of keeping the Terrible Twins in line, it was brilliant. For all those times when they'd driven _him_ nuts... yeah, Scott just wished he'd thought of it first.

Still, there were enough spare rooms in the villa for Virgil to convert one of those instead, and -

"...you know, between keeping those two in line, and saving the world, we make a pretty good team."

\- planning that bolt hole for long suffering big brothers was going to have to wait. More immediately, that big brother needed to one last bit of big brothering.

"Yes, we do. We always have, and we always will," he agreed, taking the grin that followed as his cue to put in his bolt-hole order after all. "And for my own personal brother-bunker, I'd like my own couch, a reclining armchair, a full size holo-TV... _with_ popcorn maker... oooh, and a sunlight outside the door for... well, emergency expulsion of unwanted intruders."

To him, of course, it was a perfectly reasonable request. So he really didn't understand why Virgil was now staring at him as if he'd grown an extra head. That lack of enthusiasm in his voice, too. _Really_ disappointing.

"Hey, _you_ want it, _you_ build it."

Whatever he was going to say further to that turned instead into a yawn as big as TB2's hangar. When another followed, Scott grinned, in both amusement and approval. His eyes were now fighting a losing battle to stay open. Yep, no doubt about it, his brother was going bye-byes. Just as he'd been as a toddler, he was just too damn stubborn to give in to it.

Soon, though. The inevitable was rushing towards him now with irresistible speed. Virgil's eyelids flickered for a moment, in a doomed last stand of resistance. Then they slid fully shut - and showed no sign of re-opening. Just a few more minutes, and those deafening snores would send those loungers flying back into the surrounding gardens. And if there was ever a moment to catch for blackmailable posterity, this had to be it.

Still watching him, Scott eased himself off his lounger and started to pad silently towards the house - freezing in mid stride as a low voice instantly thwarted the mischief that he'd had in mind.

"Do it, and I'll turn you into a human diving board."

Busted! And just to make sure he got the message, Virgil opened one eye and used it to throw his brother a truly evil glare.

Not daring to defy it, Scott returned to his lounger in double quick time. Settled meekly back onto it. Then he just lay back, obeyance personified - and silently waited.

He didn't need to wait long. From the sun's warmth, a corker of a breakfast, and a now fully soothed mind, Virgil drifted back to sleep. And this time, he stayed there. Under the proudly watchful eyes of his brother, he settled into the deepest, and sweetest, of dreams.

He looked so peaceful, so contented, and Scott saw no reason at all why he should catch up on some lost sleep himself. But then he saw a blur of movement to his other side, and knew that chance for peaceful quiet had just disappeared.

Damn, he'd forgotten about that. Gordon had come down for his usual, early morning swim. And as he knew from past experience, Gordon Cooper Tracy didn't do _anything_ quietly. Even his shirts were the loudest clothes on the island.

Sitting up, he quickly motioned to his brother that making _any_ kind of noise right now would be a really, _really_ , bad idea. Kinda like sneaking up on a hibernating bear, and poking it with a stick.

" _Ssssshhhh_!"

Duly warned, Gordon made the rest of his approach to them on comically overdone tiptoe. Still watching him, Scott just rolled his eyes. There were times when having four little brothers, and this little brother especially, just pushed him to the edge of his sanity.

Luckily, Gordon could also be as completely serious as he was. Never more so than when any member of his family was hurt, or threatened, or in any kind of trouble. Now that he was close enough to see him properly, the sight of his brother asleep in such an unusual place turned his trademark grin into a puzzled frown.

A poolside lounger, instead of his bed? And in his sweats, too? That alone set the alarm bells ringing - an anxious glance towards their resident mother hen assuring him that whatever crisis had brought them both out here had already passed.

"He's okay, Squid. Just had a bit of a rough night. He'll be fine once he's caught up on some sleep."

As happy with that assurance as he could be, Gordon nodded, all thoughts of his morning swim forgotten. No, he'd just do things a bit differently this morning. And since it was such a _lovely_ morning, he was sure Alan would appreciate being bounced out of bed, so that he could enjoy it too.

At least, that was what Scott naturally assumed as he watched his brother head back into the house. Well, he'd deal with that later. Right now, he was far too comfortable to handle the Terrible Twins, and... _hello_?

Hmm. Maybe he wouldn't need to.

Watching Gordon tip-toe back towards him, Scott then grinned. Without even having to ask for it, he was going to get some cheering company, and - yeah, he'd gratefully take it.

Carefully lifting another lounger to Virgil's other side, Gordon settled onto it while tossing a holo-pad across to him.

"Thought we'd need some way to pass the time... especially if we're out here a while."

"Good idea," Scott grinned, wincing slightly at the loudening snore that rose up between them. "Don't suppose you remembered the-?"

*thoomp*

Oh, he had. Thank God for that.

Nudging the godsend of earplugs into place, Scott settled back on his lounger - smiling at how naturally Gordon did the same. They even shared the same smile as they glanced across at Virgil, before returning to their respective reads. For Gordon, it was his old swimming team's progress in the latest Olympic qualifiers, while Scott checked through the upgrades that Brains had suggested for Thunderbird One.

And Virgil? Well, he was smiling too. Safe in the depths of his dreams, he slept without a care in the world.


End file.
